[puchoo]

Good move by Skoda and will definitely help many ! The service calculator is a great initiative but as far as the owners manuals are concerned it should have been done on the day they sold their first car here - that in my opinion is the base level utility which they should offer.

They however need to increase the number of parts which are available for price reference.

[narsi_6989]

Originally Posted by 2cents

I know a part (rear brake light cover), and number, that costs 250/- (thanks to a fellow Bhpian). But the service guy has been persisting that it costs 3000/-, comes as a complete assembly, and perennially unavailable. If I am allowed to place an order, I can fit it myself.

That is great . I have been looking for one (right side) brake light cover for my Fabia for sometime now. But as you mentioned the SA is persisting that it comes as assembly and pair and the cost is 4500/-. It has been nearly 10 months that I am trying to source from Pudupet in Chennai but could not get my hands on one. It would be helpful if the part number and cost list is shared. I can take up my case with the SA. Also were you able to source the part?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by puchoo

as far as the owners manuals are concerned it should have been done on the day they sold their first car here - that in my opinion is the base level utility which they should offer.

They however need to increase the number of parts which are available for price reference.

I would like to know which are the other car manufacturers who have similar transparent systems in place. I am genuinely not aware, hence the question.

When such an initiative comes from Skoda, it is viewed as "coming late" and blah blah, I would also like to say that it is a healthy sign if they are beginning to react to consumer feedback.

I think this is much more than can be said for a large number of other manufacturers!

So, for a change, lets gently appreciate Skoda's initiative, instead of handing them a set of back hand compliments. Time we moved on from this constant crib-crib tone.

[puchoo]

Please dont get me wrong , i agree completely , i own one of their products!

And to the service estimator - i appreciate the initiative , but to the manual i do not from the point of considering it as a proactive initiative , i am glad they have done it but that does not earn them brownie points - the first does the second does not.

And i am fairly confident that whichever agency handles their website would have recommended the manual's being uploaded ages ago , its nothing but lethargy that would have delayed it so much , and its not only Skoda....

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I would like to know which are the other car manufacturers who have similar transparent systems in place. I am genuinely not aware, hence the question.

When such an initiative comes from Skoda, it is viewed as "coming late" and blah blah, I would also like to say that it is a healthy sign if they are beginning to react to consumer feedback.

I think this is much more than can be said for a large number of other manufacturers!

So, for a change, lets gently appreciate Skoda's initiative, instead of handing them a set of back hand compliments. Time we moved on from this constant crib-crib tone.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Please dont get me wrong , i agree completely , i own one of their products!

And to the service estimator - i appreciate the initiative , but to the manual i do not from the point of considering it as a proactive initiative , i am glad they have done it but that does not earn them brownie points - the first does the second does not.

And i am fairly confident that whichever agency handles their website would have recommended the manual's being uploaded ages ago , its nothing but lethargy that would have delayed it so much , and its not only Skoda....

Glad to hear it mate.
Thanks.
It is generally nice to appreciate the few good things that come our way given the extreme negativity which generally tends to envelop all of us in our day to day existence.

[MaxTorque]

Good to see that Skoda is addressing the issues at their dealerships. Hopefully their dealers will adhere to the cost estimations. Now another problem could be, how to identify whether the recommended repairs are actually required or not?

[2cents]

Originally Posted by Wireless

It will also save actual owners users from being fleeced by ASCs. But i guess quite a few ASC might not bee too happy with this liberation.

I'm sure what they loose in margin, they'll gain by volume. Many owners do not bother to change even minor parts fearing expenses.

Originally Posted by narsi_6989

That is great . I have been looking for one (right side) brake light cover for my Fabia for sometime now. But as you mentioned the SA is persisting that it comes as assembly and pair and the cost is 4500/-. It has been nearly 10 months that I am trying to source from Pudupet in Chennai but could not get my hands on one. It would be helpful if the part number and cost list is shared. I can take up my case with the SA. Also were you able to source the part?

Sorry buddy, I was referring to the cover of the hmsl on the hatch window.

[jinu_joseph]

This is a good move, and prices of the parts are almost an exact match to what i get charged at the service center. For those who are saying the charges in the calculator are on the higher side, please note that the prices mentioned in the calculator are including VAT(12.5%). This is added as a separate component in the Bill at the service center.

The prices of labor is a different story. The service center is charging me much more. I got the LH Head Lamp assembly and Wipers replaced at the Service center recently and the labor charge was 900 (This does not include the 750 they charged for VAS Scanning and the additional Service tax and Cess) whereas in the calculator it is mentioned as 550 only.

Surprisingly the calculator makes not mention of the charges for VAS scanning (Rs.750), cowl top cleaning (Rs.1250).

[holysmoke]

I've just given my Superb for the 4th year service at JMD Bhandup.. they say a regular service costs 17k.
When i asked him what all it consists of he told me oil, changing filters etc.. but all that only comes up to around 9-10k. If he's changing spark plugs etc then it comes out to around 14k, which if you add taxes would be around 16...


Lets see.. hopefully getting my car back in the evening.. This link couldnt have come at a better time.

[narsi_6989]

Originally Posted by 2cents

Sorry buddy, I was referring to the cover of the hmsl on the hatch window.

Oh fine. But is there any chance we can get hold of the complete part list, number and cost? Will our fellow BHPian you mentioned be able to help us out here? I am desperately looking for the rear tail light cover.

[siddarthbh]

Noticed this a few weeks back on the Skoda India website. This is a welcome move and a good start by Skoda in clearing up their A.S.S mess! However this alone will not be enough to set things right. Issues like availability of spares, service competence and dealer attitude will have to be set right if Skoda wants to become a top player.

[hrman]

I own a Skoda product and have known how so many BHPians on this forum and outside have been at the receiving end. Fortunately so far, I have been shielded from this and have only good things to say about them.(touch wood!!)

An initiative of this kind is a first in India from what I can see. If this thing had been put up on Maruti/ Hyundai's website, people would have gone ga- ga over it and would have been singing their praises. But for many people on this forum if Tata, Fiat or Skoda does anything good, it is always viewed negatively. It's as if they can never do anything right.

A sincere request to please snap out of it. There are many people I know personally who have had a good stint with Skoda as well. A company with a fearsome ASC experience in the past is showing visible steps to rectify and build some transparency. It needs to be appreciated.
I don't mean to undermine any brand, but for those who think Hyundai is the benchmark next to Maruti in terms of ASC standards, please go through the Hyundai service costs thread. You will find even more frightening stories there!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by hrman

I own a Skoda product and have known how so many BHPians on this forum and outside have been at the receiving end. Fortunately so far, I have been shielded from this and have only good things to say about them.(touch wood!!)

An initiative of this kind is a first in India from what I can see. If this thing had been put up on Maruti/ Hyundai's website, people would have gone ga- ga over it and would have been singing their praises. But for many people on this forum if Tata, Fiat or Skoda does anything good, it is always viewed negatively. It's as if they can never do anything right.

A sincere request to please snap out of it. There are many people I know personally who have had a good stint with Skoda as well. A company with a fearsome ASC experience in the past is showing visible steps to rectify and build some transparency. It needs to be appreciated.
I don't mean to undermine any brand, but for those who think Hyundai is the benchmark next to Maruti in terms of ASC standards, please go through the Hyundai service costs thread. You will find even more frightening stories there!

Good one Hrman.
I am in the same situation as you are.
I think we make mountains out of molehills all the time - it is innate in us to tend to over react!
And yes, I do hope we snap out of it as you say.

[prafulasher]

Having always thought of the Yeti being my next upgrade I am happy that this move will introduce some degree of transparency. Anything that increases clarity in this muddled auto sector in our great nation is always welcome .

To be frank, I wish we existed in times where we could see the inventory of spares with every individual workshop on the manufacturer site, reserve spares online along with an appointment for service/replacement and have a setup in the workshop where every slot in a service bay has a recliner and access to noise cancellation headphones instead of so-called customer lounges with a board saying customers are not allowed on the service floor. For unavailable spares, it'd have been awesome to order spares from the company and track the supply of part to the dealer!

I am sure that isn't going to happen in this lifetime. But I guess there is no harm in hoping.

How I wish cars were like software where one could automate the verification of every code change so that we could prevent silly regressions at the least!

[kar.carthik]

Thanks for Sharing the Info. This is an excellent move from Skoda and I think it is the first of a kind for any car company in India I guess. For my Laura I have done 15K and the 30K services. The cost was close to the estimates mentioned. Even changed my front break pads @ 35K and it costed me less than 5 grands.